Customer Reviews

The Collapsing Bubble: Growth and Fossil Energy

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This very short book offers a restatement of the 'Peak Oil' argument. It tries to link 'Peak Oil' to a population crisis. Although I am convinced this is an extremely important issue, the treatment is superficial. The author complains about the 'pro-growth' policies of Americans, but his explanations for the popularity of 'growth' are weak. If I understand it, he argues that 'growth' became popular soon after the bubonic plague devastated Europe, and has never been questioned. Nor does the author suggest any equitable arguments one could make to the Indian or Chinese populations which would suggest they abandon any pursuit of modern high-energy lifestyles. About the best the author can do is suggest we would be better off living the way we did in the 1950s, which is hardly helpful.

The best feature of the book is its concise recap of the 'Peak Oil' argument. Topics include
1. The expected lag in food production as oil production decreases.
2. The expected lag in food production due to climate change (a bit weak)
3. The expected water crisis due to industrial pollution causes by increase coal use.
4. The lack of any viable energy replacement for lost oil production (this is about half the book).

I liked this excellent little book very much. You can read this little book in less than an hour but the book is well written and I can't find fault with Mr. Grant's technical data. The book is thought provoking. The author is a little too political for me, but overall I think he means well. Regards, Keith Renick, Peachtree City, Ga.

Excellent analysis! This book is especially important in today's environment when we are trying to reduce our dependency on oil.